Lead Manufacturing Eng

Lead Manufacturing Eng : Aerospace and DefenceTipTopJob West Midlands, England, United KingdomLead Manufacturing Engineer : Aerospace and Defence : West Midlands : PermanentA Lead Manufacturing Engineer is required to join an Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing and Engineering company at the forefront of aerospace forging, machining, and assembly, producing an extensive range of products and components. The successful Lead Manufacturing Engineer will be an experienced and proactive Manufacturing Engineer, and this critical role will focus on optimizing current manufacturing processes, improving product quality and production efficiency. The Lead Manufacturing Engineer will be supporting the successful industrialisation of New Product Introductions (NPI) into production and will lead the manufacturing engineering for one of the business units. The Lead Manufacturing Engineer will be working closely with cross-functional teams including design engineering, production, quality, and supply chain to ensure the manufacturing processes are stable, capable, and continuously improving to meet the high standards expected in the aerospace and defence industry. Responsibilities Lead the prioritisation and allocation of manufacturing engineering activities Analyse, develop, and optimize manufacturing processes to maximize quality and efficiency Drive strong process control and process capability across all manufacturing operations Apply Lean Manufacturing and industrial engineering optimisation techniques Lead and deliver continuous improvement initiatives targeting quality improvements Support and execute the industrialisation of New Product Introductions (NPI) Collaborate with design and development teams to ensure manufacturability and DFMA Apply APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) to ensure product/process readiness Lead the PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) to verify product designs Identify, propose, and implement process improvement and technology upgrades Troubleshoot and resolve production issues, applying structured root cause analysis (RCA) Define, document, and maintain robust manufacturing process controls including SOPs Develop and validate manufacturing tooling, jigs, fixtures, gauging, and other systems Ensure all manufacturing activities comply with aerospace and defence quality standards Support production teams by providing training on new processes, and operational practices Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as yield, scrap, RFT, and throughput Contribute to investment projects related to new capabilities, equipment modernisation, etc Qualifications, Skills and Experience Required Demonstrable engineering team leadership experience in an industrial environment Engineering experience with good understanding of the associated tools/techniques Extensive practical experience in an industrial forging, machining, fabrication, or similar role Degree or HND in Manufacturing/Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, or similar Strong understanding of process control and process capability Experience with statistical tools to validate and monitor production stability Demonstrated experience in leading continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality Significant experience with APQP, PPAP, FMEA, and 8D/DMAIC problem solving Proficient in interpreting complex engineering drawings and GD&T Experience with validation, PFMEA, control plans, and Statistical Process Control (SPC) Lean Manufacturing and industrial optimisation and value stream mapping experience Good working knowledge of aerospace quality standards (e.g., AS9100) Excellent analytical, problem solving, and project management skills Strong communication and interpersonal skill and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt Experience with ERP systems and knowledge of forging, heat/surface treatments, machining Security Clearance (SC) may be required Seniority level Mid-Senior level Employment type Full-time Job function Engineering and Information Technology Industries Aerospace and Defence #J-18808-Ljbffr